Thursday, 7 April 2016

POP! Movies – Army of Darkness: Deadite

Company: Funko

Series: POP!
Movies

Year: 2014

This POP has actually been out for a while now, but I’ve
spent my sweet time waiting to pick him up. I haven’t watched a lot of horror
in recent years, so I wasn’t sure I wanted him. Even more so, a good friend of
mine is kind of THE Evil Dead guy in my circle of friends. I love the films –
but he LOVES them, and I kind of felt like I’d be infringing on his
territory if I picked it up. Some of you will know what I mean; it’s like when
you’ve been listening to a band for months or years, then all of a sudden your
friend who never really showed must interest in them decides he’s their biggest
fan.

But late last year I went to a screening of Evil Dead II on the big screen at George
St cinemas, and it was just as good as I remembered it. And then he popped up in
Kinokuniya, so after being so happy with Ash
I decided to take the plunge.

I must confess, it’s been quite a few years since I last
watched Army of Darkness, so I don’t
remember this character specifically. “Deadite” is actually a generic term,
referring to any human or creature – and I suppose object – that has been possessed
by the titular Evil Dead – so there are a bunch of them that show up throughout
the series. However, a quick Google seems to indicate that this guy was some
kind of Deadite captain. I don't remember if he has any lines of anything, so it's probably time to crack it out and give it a watch again. Fortunately, it's easily available on Stan.com.au.

As befits a deceased undead medieval warrior, he’s
equipped with a horned helmet, breastplate, a ratty loincloth and cape, as well
as a spear and shield. The sculpt and paint details are much more detailed than
Funko ordinarily does, which creates a slight disconnect between himself and
his companion figure, Ash. Given that he is a skeleton, rather than a solid
body, it’s a necessary compromise, if not an ideal one. As his body is little
daintier and his head a bit larger than the usual POP, he also comes placed on
one of the clear stands that have been seen with a few of the female
characters. But taken solely on its own merits, my only (minor) complaint
is with the face’s paint job. It looks a little flat in its current form, but I
think this could have been solved with a simple wash. It wouldn’t be hard for a
customiser to do.

Sadly, there were only three POPS released from Army of
Darkness – the Deadite, Ash and a convention-exclusive glow version of the
Deadite. There are a few different characters that could have been made into
POPs if they’d wanted to expand the line; the Pit Witch, Sheila and Evil Ash
all spring to mind, not to mention possible different versions of Ash. The most
glaring omission, really, is that there isn’t a version of Ash available with a
copy of the dread Necronomicon Ex Mortis.
Though perhaps this will change with the success of Ash vs Evil Dead. With all
the TV shows that are getting merch from Funko, it’s entirely possible they’ll
look at doing some of these characters in the future.

The Deadite has now been discontinued, but can still be had
for around retail price if you’re a s-mart shopper. He's not quite as essential
as Ash, but he’s a fine addition for completists. And indeed, the Game of Thrones Wight would make a good
additional Deadite, if you want to expand your Evil Dead ranks further.